Question:
Will surgery take place if poison ivy blisters present

Three weeks out from my surgery date I came in contact with poison ivy that produced itchy blisters that have reduced to angry red blemishes on my arms and torso. Although they are slowly healing I'm concerned that they will still be present on my surgery date next week and that the doctor will postpone. Would a 6 day session of Medrol Dose Pack (a steroid)ending the day before surgery disqualify me as a sugical candidate? If anyone has had this experience or a doctor could offer advice, I'd appreciate it.    — Tom H. (posted on April 15, 2010)

April 15, 2010
You should check with your doctor, as some meds needs to be stopped a few days or a week shy of surgery due to thinning of the blood etc. you can contact your pharmastist and ask him regarding the Medrol Dose Pack prior to surgery, if you don't want to ask your doctor in fear of postponing. But on the otherhand you need to be honest and let them know so you don't expose them to the poision ivy. If you are postponed, it wouldn't be for very long, you have a window time frame before your approved surgery becomes void. Start with the pharmacy then tell the doctor just to see what would happen. My concern wouldn't be postponing the surgery, it would be exposing others to the ivy and mostly the steroid ending the day before surgery. Hope this helps.
   — Kristy

April 15, 2010
Thanks for your response. I'll check with the pharmacist as you suggest. I received the Medrol Dose Pack scrip from a staff physician at a walk-in urgent care rather than my PCP for fear that she would alert my surgeon. The urgent care physician advised that the oil from the poison ivy is washed away after the first bathing following exposure but the blistering and irritation remain as a result of the initial contact. He did caution that I could be exposed again if I again handle any material that contained the oil in the first place, which I doubt I have. I would like to know if anyone has been disqualified on their surgery date for poison-ivy or any other skin eruptions. I would hate to postpone because the scheduled date has been carefully planned with vacation time for myself and my wife's (a teacher) Spring vacation. I'm keeping the (lapband) surgery very discrete for now and there is no other reasonable date to schedule before summer.
   — Tom H.

April 15, 2010
I have 8 kids so we have had our share of poison ivy. The FAST cure for poison ivy is a creme called ZANFEL. It is $20 to $30 a tube but IT WORKS FAST! Dries it up QUICK like no other. I mean quick as in ONE APPLICATION. It is money well spent.
   — Brooke R.

April 16, 2010
I'll look into the Zanfel, although I seem to be over the worst of the symptoms. Most of the blisters have either shrunk or turned into flaky skin. The redness of the affected area has lost some of its intensity. I'm still bummed that it will be visible in my semi-clad pre-op photos ;-)that I intended to have taken this weekend. Feel free to friend me & I'll have some of the less daring ones posted shortly for viewing....TH
   — Tom H.